Thursday, July 31, 2014

Vol State students have been traveling the globe this summer for travel study. Criminal Justice Director, Kevin Cook, taught a class in England, and they did some pretty cool stuff. Here is a report from Kevin:

This summer Vol State students
studying Criminology with TnCIS (Tennessee Consortium for International
Studies) through a class taught by myself, had exclusive access to 10 Downing Street
the residence and cabinet office of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The class topic was a discussion of threat assessment and security for the Prime Minister. 10
Downing Street is equivalent to visiting the White House-Oval Office. Many U.S.
Presidents, foreign leaders and the Queen of England have taken the iconic
picture in front of the door at 10 Downing.

My students also had
the honor of attending a lecture in Experimental Criminology at the University
of Cambridge. The students and I were surprised when they were asked to
participate in small group exercises with high ranking senior law enforcement
officials from throughout the Commonwealth (Australia, Scotland, England) in developing methodologies and theories
in decreasing crime. Students toured and received a lecture at the U.S. Embassy
in London presented by the U.S. State Department Diplomatic Security Service. They used that experience to complete a research paper on Crime Prevention
Through Environmental Design.

Additionally, students visited New
Scotland Yard and met Constable Fletcher, a Strategic Analyst for Counter
Terrorism with the London Metropolitan Police Department.

Interested in travel study for next year? Check out the website for details. There are mandatory sessions that will be held this fall and applications that will need to be filled out.

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Emergency planning has become a part
of institutional life in America. Schools and community centers regularly
prepare and practice what to do in an emergency. Vol State students and faculty have taken part in a two-year project to help
particularly vulnerable organizations: child care centers. State law requires
that child care centers have emergency plans. But it’s tough for a small business
or nonprofit to find the time or expertise needed to develop a plan. Vol State
classes have prepared emergency planning kits for child care centers in Sumner
County. They were distributed to child care directors today. Vol State
instructor, Penny Duncan, led the effort with her Early Childhood Education
students.

“It’s designed to be tailored to each
individual center,” said Duncan. “Child care directors can put in their own
maps and their own emergency contact lists. The new standards that just became
required last year by the state, include reunification plans, getting kids back
with their parents, evacuation procedures and how to work with children with
disabilities.”

“We went to visit several day cares
and preschools to see if they had a plan and only a few did,” said Vol State
student Tamara Tuckson of Nashville. “The project has been very enlightening
for us and we hope it can help child cares be ready, especially when it comes
to helping children with special needs, which was the part I worked on.”

Holding safety drills with young
children can be especially difficult. The plan includes ways to make such
activities part of the curriculum and appropriate for the age group. Gallatin
Day Care Center Executive Director Linda Boyers is also a Vol State student who
worked on the project.

“You always think it’s not going to
happen to me,” said Boyers. “But you’ve got to know how to react and you need
training to do that. If everyone is on the same page, the chances of everyone
surviving an emergency safely are much higher, and that’s important to me as a
director, and as a parent and grandparent.”

The project is part of what is called
Vol State Service Learning. The student work is directly tied to their class
curriculum. More than fifty students in several Vol State classes and three
different faculty members worked on the project. Students in Computer
Information Systems worked on a phone app as part of the project. The Early
Childhood Education students coordinated with students in Criminal Justice to
put together the plan.

“The Criminal Justice students
provided all of the emergency plans, the evacuation plan, the reunification
plan,” said James Brown, Criminal Justice instructor. “The education students
prepared the process, to make sure the kids don’t get scared and they have
activities to keep them occupied during an emergency. The most important part
for the education students was probably the training plan. Without proper
training, staff won’t know what to do in an emergency.”

The plan is available for any
interested child care operator in Tennessee to download and print for free, on
the Vol State website. Visit www.volstate.edu/EarlyChildhood
and then click on “Child Care Emergency Plan.” For more information about
Education and Criminal Justice programs at Vol State visit www.volstate.edu

###

Pictured top: Linda Boyers with
Gallatin Day Care Center will be using the emergency plan with her staff and
children.

Middle: Vol State students show the
plan to child care managers at a reception, left to right: student Debbie
Dominguez of Gallatin; student Tamara Tuckson of Nashville; and Donna Gregory
and Gaye Hurt with College Heights Child Care of Gallatin.Lower: Some of the faculty and students who worked on the project celebrate during a reception on Wednesday.

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

A recent meeting brought together Sumner and Nashville civic and educational leaders for a discussion. Mayor Jo Ann Graves has this op-ed piece about the meeting and Vol State's role in the future of our community.

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Russia is a major topic in world news discussions, and yet, how much do we really know about the modern Russia? It seems that explorations of Russian politics, history and economy may be big areas of interest in coming months and years.Dr. John Espey, Director of
International Education and Professor of Business, was one of five
participants chosen to participate in the 2014 Fulbright Program
-Community College Administrator Seminar in Russia. He traveled to Russia last semester, and has this account of the trip and how the International Education program may do more with Russia in the future:

The program, about five
years old, was developed to share the community college model with
Russian institutions of Higher Education and build relationships for
potential future collaboration.

The program allowed the
delegation to visit a number of Federal and State Universities in the of cities
of Kaliningrad, St. Petersburg, Arkhangelsk and Moscow. We were able to
exchange information through presentations and dialog between a number of
faculty and administrators about how community colleges operate and fit into
American Higher Education.

We visited State and Federal
Universities with programs as diverse as education and training for the Fishing
and International shipping Industry, to programs in Information
Technology –Mechanics and Optics. We found a Changing Russia. The
federal government is putting resources into technology education and we
found faculty, students and leadership most interested in supporting a
market economy. We found a number of programs and individuals that had
responsibilities very similar to ours and programs that we might find in our
community colleges are embedded in their universities. Russian
institutions have been traditionally very strong in Mathematics and the
Sciences. That history is helping to build programs in Technology from
construction to Engineering.

Construction projects and growth
in residential construction, modernization of highways and spreading wealth
have certainly marked the transition. We were reminded the Russia is only about
40 years into a transition to a market economy. Capitalism is spreading in the
cities to be certain. We were told that the rural and remote areas of the
country have simply not received the benefits of a market system as well as the
urban areas. Infrastructure is still in critical need in many areas, but
construction of modern high rise housing was simply booming in Moscow in
particular. Many former Soviet style housing and construction is still in place
and the contrast to the modernization is striking.

Dr. Joel Ericson, The Fulbright
Program Director for Russia was with us at every visit. He and his staff
assistant ,Ms. Polina Babushkina, developed a program for us that made the
maximum use of time and travel. We were welcomed at every visit.
Many younger faculty are fluent in English and Russian. Graduate students
in particular had studied English and often assisted. When necessary,
translators appeared and I felt we never had any problems with language.

With a schedule that was full,
we had some time to visit historic sites including palaces and museums in St.
Petersburg and Red Square in Moscow. The northern city of Arkhangelsk was still
in the grip of a frozen winter. We say a number of people parasailing with snowboards on the frozen White Sea and inlets!

I found the food was just great
at every venue. We traveled between cities via Aeroflot, the Russian
airlines. The aircraft fleet was modern, clean and included great personnel.
Airports are modernizing at a very rapid pace. We say construction at
every airport. The vastness of the country really lends itself to air
travel. Flights were full. Travelers we met included
construction personnel and engineers.

For where we at Volunteer State,
TnCIS and TBR go from here with potential relationships with Russian
institutions, I am working in several areas.

-We are seeking
grant support for future foreign language development including Russian.

·

- I am writing every
institution we visited with an invitation to send a delegation of
students/faculty for a short term visit similar to the multiple
partnerships we have at present. I am offering to share our partner TBR
Universities and community colleges as well as the cultural and historic
Nashville and Middle Tennessee region.

·

-We are exploring a
TnCIS program offering in the future for Russia. We are also
exploring hosting a Fulbright Scholar from Russia in the future.

The
experience was certainly a great opportunity to represent Vol State, TBR and
Tennessee. Other program participants were from Illinois, North Carolina,
Oklahoma and Washington State.

For those who have been here at
Volunteer State and remember our Russian visitor , Oleg Naumenko, Ph.D. from
about 2008, I was able to meet up with him and his parents in Moscow!
Oleg is working for the senior Russian Economics University in research and
recalls his visit to Vol State.

I hope to make presentations on
requests in the near future. I really appreciate the efforts of Dr.
Nichols and Tracy Bradley of TnCIS is helping support my application for the
program.

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Mike Anderson receiving the Governor’s Outstanding First
Responder Award from Asst. Commissioner of Safety, David Purkey. The award presentation came at the Sumner
County Commission meeting with his daughter by his side.

Health Sciences Center of Emphasis faculty member and
alumnus Mike Anderson died last weekend at Vanderbilt University Medical
Center. Mike was a 1989 Vol State EMT graduate. Recently, he returned to Vol
State to work towards obtaining a Health Sciences AAS degree.

Mike was a familiar face at Meharry Medical College
where he routinely coordinated American Heart Association classes for Vol
State, including ACLS, PALS, and PHTLS courses for medical students.

“Mike was one of our training center faculty, meaning that
he advised us and helped to make sure instructors were kept up to date with
their training,” said Terri Crutcher. “He’s really going to be missed.”

Mike served in several capacities, including Training
Officer, with Sumner County EMS for over 20 years. In 2012, Mike was
recognized as an Outstanding First Responder by Governor Bill Haslam's Office
in conjunction with the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security.
The picture was taken after that ceremony.

Mike is survived by his wife, Kelly Anderson and his
daughter, Casey Anderson. Sanderson Funeral Home of Carthage will be conducting
visitation and the ceremony: Visitation: Tuesday (today) at 1:00 PM until 8:00
PM and Wednesday from 10:00 AM until service time at 1:00 PM.

The family has requested that any memorials be made to the
Sumner County Heart Association.

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

It’s surprising what you can do with a voice, a guitar and a really interesting room. Members
of the band Wabash have attended Vol State and now they’re garnering national attention
for singing in a grain bin. It’s more than just a gimmick. The acoustics of the
metal bin, combined with the soaring vocal of Brandon McDuffee and soulful blues
guitar of current student Quinn Bible, make this a must see clip on You Tube.
Many other sites have picked it up as well. Bible and McDuffee play by
themselves in this particular clip. The rest of the band includes brothers Alex and Luke McDuffee, and James Alan on drums. Alan actually did the video
taping of the grain bin performance.

“It
was the perfect song for that setting,” Alan said. “It’s amazing what an idea
on a whim can do.”

The
reaction has been exciting. The clip has more than 44,000 views on You Tube from
people all over the world.

“We’ve
been getting views from Australia, Malaysia, Japan and Ireland,” said Quinn. “It’s
just us doing our thing. Hopefully people will keep enjoying the music.”

The
band cut material last year in the Vol State recording studio and just finished
a new EP in the studio. Vol State student Nikki
Lawrence mixed their first release and Vol State Director of Entertainment
Media Industry Programs engineered the latest material himself. The band has
just decided to officially release the grain bin performance, as well.

Thanks
to the Entertainment Media Production and International Education programs,
Wabash traded video-taped recordings of songs with British bands for an
international TV show called “The Beat.” It’s produced by students at Exeter College
in England.

Next
up, is a gig at the well-known rock club The End in Nashville on July 31 and
hopefully, they say, touring after that. We don’t know if any grain bins are
being considered as venues.

Vol State faculty and staff wished Chinese professor Jun Zhao bon voyage
recently as the visiting scholar prepared to return home to China. Zhao has
been teaching Chinese and participating in International Education events at
Vol State over the last year.

“I’m looking forward to seeing my family,” she said. “But I can’t bear
to part. I’ll miss it here. The staff and faculty members are very nice and
friendly to me.”

Zhao will return to her teaching position at Beijing City University.
She’s been doing research in cross-cultural communication, comparing three
places: the United Kingdom, China and the United States.

“I came here to teach students Chinese,” said Zhao. “I think people
learning a foreign language- you will have a different opinion of the people in
the country you are studying.”

Professor Zhao taught at Vol State through a program with the Confucius
Institute at MTSU. The Confucius Institute is an international Chinese project
to share faculty with colleges and universities across the globe. Director of
International Education, John Espey, is working to line-up a visiting Chinese
scholar for next year, to continue the work Zhao has started, including Chinese
language courses.

“Working at Vol State has helped me to know America and the American
people objectively,” Zhao said. “I think American people are very open and
generous.”

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Kim Lawson is an alumna success story. She graduated with
a Paramedic certificate in 1981 and then an associate of applied science degree from Vol State in 1994. Now, after 34 years with the
Nashville Fire Department, retiring at the rank of Deputy Chief, Lawson has
stepped back into the world of first responders as the new assistant chief of medical
services for the Murfreesboro Fire and Rescue Department.

“I just can’t stop. I can’t help myself. I love it,” she
said. “I’ve had a great career in Nashville. I frankly love the job and so when
this opportunity in Murfreesboro came up I knew that was what I wanted to do. I
spent most of my career in EMS, it’s my passion.”

Lawson says that part of the attraction for the new position
was in developing a growing EMS division in Murfreesboro. “We’re stepping it up
to a higher level for our firefighters to be able to do advanced medical
techniques. We work hand-in-hand with Rutherford County EMS. But we need to
look forward to the future.”

That future is coming up quickly in the booming Murfreesboro
area. More people moving to the area means more medical calls.

Firefighting and Emergency Medical Services are a big part
of the Lawson family. Which is why Kim’s daughter, Angie Lawson is a bit of a
renegade.

“Her father is a firefighter. Her brother is a firefighter,”
said Kim. “She comes from a fire department family. She’s still kind of in the
area of public safety.”

Mom says the last bit with a smile. She’s clearly quite proud
of her police officer daughter. And therein
lies another Vol State tie. Angie Lawson is the Assistant Chief of Police at
the College.

“I did attempt to go into fire at one point,” said Angie. “My
parents are the most supportive. Anything I want to do they support me 100
percent. Once I got more involved in policing, a lot of investigators said I
had a knack for it.”

Angie did talk to her mom when considering the Vol State
position. “I knew she had graduated from here,” Angie said. “It was a good move
for me professionally. As always, I looked to my mom for advice.”

The long-time rivalry between police and firefighters notwithstanding,
Angie sees plenty of similarities in public service. “I still think that’s the
biggest thing for me about law enforcement. There’s so much community service
we can do. We’re really pushing our community policing forward here at Vol
State.”

While the firefighting tradition may have taken a slightly
different turn for the family, the Vol State tradition certainly continues.
Kim’s other daughter, Tara, is a current Vol State student. Angie is
considering taking classes in the fall. And Mom wants to take EMS refresher
courses at Vol State later this year.

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Dr. Faulkner recently presented Franz Nuernberger, the designer of the new Vol State Mace and Tommy Tomkins, long-time College Foundation supporter and the person who put together a plan to replace the Vol State Mace, with plaques thanking them. And if you haven't noticed yet, there is a cool light effect that forms a perfect V over the Mace in shadow as it sits in its case in the Ramer Building Great Hall. It's completely unintentional, but sometimes interesting things in life happen by accident. This isn't a picture of the light effect in question. Go take a look at the Mace to see for yourself.

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Genealogy, art and books, are some
of the subjects for the inaugural KEY Lifelong Learning Program at Volunteer
State Community College starting in August. There are several lectures scheduled
and each has multiple meeting days. The fee to enroll in one or all of the
lectures in the series is $49. All of the lectures in the series start the week
of August 4. Everyone is welcome to attend. The topics include:

“Beginning Genealogy- can you Trust
the Internet?”

“Why Does It Look the way It Does-
Art in Context”

“Four Migrations to America”

“Author Talk- Judge Hamilton Gayden
- Miscarriage of Justice”

“Author Talk-Allen Parks – Final
Bid!”

“Author Talk- Judith Morgan – The Lost
World of Langley Hall”

“Author Talk- Kenneth Thomson-
Reverend Peter Vertrees”

KEY stands for “Keep Educating
Yourself.” A kick-off session will be held on July 9 at 3 p.m. in the Wood
Campus Center, Mary Cole Nichols Dining Room B on the Vol State Campus at 1480
Nashville Pike in Gallatin. Registration will be open at that time. People can
also register by calling Vol State Continuing Education at 615-230-3358 or
visiting in person at the 300 Building on the east side of the Vol State
campus. For a complete list of lecture series dates and descriptions visit www.volstate.edu/lifelong

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The Vol State Gallatin Campus

The Vol State Insider is produced by the Office of Public Relations. It's a newsletter blog designed primarily for faculty and staff, although everyone is welcome to view and comment. You can contact us at pr@volstate.edu